PS1 Horror Games have played a huge part in the success of the Playstation One. They’ve also been a huge part of the gaming industry since pretty much the beginning of it.
In this article we’re going to take a look at the best PS1 Horror Games. We’ll cover a short synopsis of the game as well as why we think it deserves a place on this list.
There are some real obscure titles here and some of them you may not have played, you can still pick up copies of most of the games listed from the likes of eBay, thrift stores or car boot sales.
Let’s take a look at our list (in no particular order btw) of the best PS1 Horror Games.
PS1 Horror Games – The List
This list has 10 awesome horror games, they’ll be some games you love and there might even be games you’ve grown to hate. Hopefully, we’ve got it spot on, or somewhere in the middle atleast.
Silent Hill (1999) – One of the best PS1 Horror Games
Release Date: 23 February 1999
Silent Hill is probably one of the better known survival horror games. It’s developed and published by the legends over at Konami. It’s the very first installment in the Silent Hill Franchise.
One of the horror gaming genres most iconic franchises. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Silent Hill series is one of the most influential in the genre.
The games opening act starts with our protagonist, Harry Mason. Harry has just survived a nasty car crash. He crashed the car whilst searching for his missing daughter, Cheryl.
Harry arrives at Silent Hill. Silent Hill is a ghost town surrounded by thick fog with a layer of snow on the ground. While the town does appear to be inhabited by people, Silent Hill is also the home of some hideous monsters that patrol the streets.
You must use all of your wit and survival skills if you want to find your daughter and make it out alive!
- A brilliant horror game for PC is Pacify, check it out.
Silent Hill Gameplay Video – PS1 Horror Games
Silent hill is one of the greatest horror games ever made. Drop us a comment below and let us know if we’re right!
Parasite Eve (1998)
Release Date: 29 March 1998
Parasite Eve is a 1998 horror RPG game developed Square. The game is a sequel to the book of the same title Parasite Eve, written by Hideaki Sena.
The soundtrack and visuals create a very creepy atmosphere. It’s one game that is genuinely scary! All we’ll say is, if you really, really don’t like blood, then you shouldn’t play Parasite Eve.
The cutscenes are some of the most impressive on the PS1, so you won’t get bored of them. They really are gruesome but quite honestly it blends with the gameplay perfectly. It has a compelling story and fantastic gameplay sequences, it’s easy to see why it’s on our list of PS1 Horror Games.
Parasite Eve Gameplay Video
The above video shows the gameplay of Parasite Eve. It’s well worth playing, it’s still available to buy, you can pick up a copy from Amazon.
It’s only around 12 hours long, which is fairly short for an RPG. A good chunk of that is spent watching dialog or cutscenes.
Clock Tower (1995)
Release Date: 14 September 1995
Clock Tower is a survival horror adventure game developed and published by Human Entertainment. It is the first installment in the Clock Tower series. The story follows orphan Jennifer. Soon after she is adopted by the Barrows family is when the games opening act commences.
As Jennifer, you must explore the Clock Tower mansion in order to rescue your friends and escape. You’ll need to do this before a murderous Scissorman kills you all.
The unique thing about your character is that you have no ability to fight. If Scissorman approaches, you do have the ability to defend yourself by hitting B, but that will only give you a few moments of temporary reprieve!
Clock Tower can be considered one of the original pioneers of horror games. It was also one of the first games to incorporate multiple endings. It contains more endings than most modern day games in the genre.
Clock Tower Gameplay Video
Clock Tower is a fantastic example of an early playstation survival horror game done right. Check out the gameplay video above.
Resident Evil (1996)
Release Date: 22 March 1996
Resident Evil is a horror video game developed and released by Capcom for the PlayStation. It’s the first game (of many) in the series and it spawned a whole generation of epic scary games for the PS1.
You play as a member of a special law enforcement task force who are trapped in a mansion populated by dangerous mutated creatures (think zombie animals). The objective of the game is to uncover the mystery of the mansion and ultimately, escape alive.
The game that kicked started the Resident Evil Series. Everything about it was almost perfect. From the camera angle to the music. The doom and gloom atmosphere the game carries is epic.
It’s an incredible game. The bright, illuminated hallways and rooms of the mansion give it a very tense atmosphere. One reviewer likened the mansion to the one in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. And we couldn’t agree more.
Resident Evil was also turned into a hugely successful film series. The first one is well worth a watch!
Resident Evil Gameplay Video
The Resident Evil series is one of the very few reasons you’ll still find us playing the Playstation 1.
Check out Part 1 in the Resident Evil gameplay video walkthrough above.
Dino Crisis (1999)
Release Date: 1 July 1999
Dino Crisis is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom originally for the PlayStation console in 1999.
Dino Crisis is set on Lisle Island and you play as Regina. She’s a member of a special operations rescue team or SORT for short. Capcom games love a special unit and acronym! It’s nice to have a female lead character!
You, and your teammates Gail and Rick, are sent to hunt down Dr. Kirk who is a scientist working on a project called ‘Third Energy”. It’s thought that the project is some kind of dangerous weapon. That weapon project must be stopped!
When you arrive at the facility almost everyone is dead! There is blood everywhere and the place seems desserted.
Before long you find dinosaurs! (WHAT!) These are responsible for the massacre. You’ll need to be quick and find Dr. Kirk before you become the dinosaurs next meal!
The game will allow you to make decisions on how the story plays out, you’ll need to decide how to handle a particular situation and ultimately change the course of the game.
The concept of that decision making would go on to become quite common in survival games.
Dino Crisis Gameplay Video
If you can find a copy at your local CEX or thrift shop, Dino Crisis is well worth buying. Check out the above gameplay video walkthrough.
Alundra (1997)
Release Date: 11 April 1997
Alundra, initially released in Europe as The Adventures of Alundra. It’s an action-adventure-horror video game created by the team over at Matrix Software.
The game’s protagonist is a young man named Alundra, who learns that he has the power to enter people’s dreams and nightmares.
You find yourself shipwrecked on an island, near the village of Inoa. The locals have been suffering from recurring nightmares. These nightmares are sometimes fatal!
You’ll need to use your dream walking ability to help the natives overcome their dreams and uncover the mystery.
The story becomes gradually darker and more twisted as you progress in the game. You’ll need to deal with themes of an adult nature such as death, depression, fate and human existence
You’ll need to solve various puzzles and take part in battles if you want to move forward in the game. The gameplay is great and the dream walking is an innovative plot point.
Alundra Gameplay Video
It’s well worth a playthrough if you can find a copy online. The above video shows the complete walkthrough of the game.
Resident Evil 2 (1998) – A classic PS1 Horror Game
Release Date: 21 January 1998
Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation in 1998.
You play as Leon and Claire. You need to escape the confines Raccoon City after its citizens are transformed into zombies by a biological weapon (the T virus).
The game takes place just two months after the events of the original. The gameplay mainly focuses on exploration, puzzles, and zombie combat. Each of the playable characters has their own story arc which is nice!
Upon it’s release, Resident Evil 2 received critical acclaim. It garnered praise for it’s graphics, score and gameplay. Fans were quick to point out that it was a vastly improved game than the original.
It continues to appear every now and then on some best video games ever made. And, in our opinion it’s fully deserved.
Resident Evil 2 Gameplay Video
Resident Evil 2 was so well loved that there were calls for a remake to be created. The remake launched for the PS4. XBOX ONE and PC on January 25, 2019.
Part 1 of the full Resident Evil gameplay video is above, check it out.
Mizzurna Falls (1998)
Release Date: 23 December 1998
Mizzurna Falls is a JRPG video game developed by Human Entertainment. The game (according to online reports) is one of the first open world adventure games ever made.
The game focuses on the search for a lost person in a small American town.
On Christmas day in 1995 a young girl, Kathy Flannery is discovered unconscious in the forest, apparently attacked by a bear.
Some time later, high school student Emma goes missing. Emma’s classmate Matthew gets involved in the mystery surrounding the disappearance. You’ll need to solve the mystery and help uncover the dark secrets of the town.
The game features an innovative full weather cycle and the towns residents have individual daily routines. You have access to a car and a boat to help you get around the town quickly.
You are also able to eat at the local diners, use a mobile (cell) phone and refuel your car. These sort of ‘open world’ elements were early concepts but were soon adopted by the mainstream.
Mizzurna Falls Gameplay Video
Games these days have pretty realistic graphics but the old school PS1 games have something appealing about them. Check out the video above and see what we mean!
Koudelka (1999)
Release date: 16 December 1999
Koudelka is a RPG game developed by the team over at Sacnoth. The game was first published by SNK in Japan in 1999. It was released to the rest of the world a year later in 2000.
Set in a haunted Monastery in Wales, the game follows Koudelka, Edward and Bishop James O’Flaherty as they uncover Nemeton’s secrets. To do so you’ll need to battle the monsters created from its dark past.
The games gameplay amalgamates exploration with puzzle elements using a turn and grid-based battle system.
Koudelka Gameplay Video
Check out the game play video above. You’ll notice that (as one commenter points out) that it’s based in Wales yet everyone appears to be American!
Either way, it’s a great game and a perfect end to this list of PS1 Horror Games.
PS1 Horror Games – Summary
So there you have it. Some of the best PS1 Horror Games! But, due to the popularity of the Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises, many horror games went largely unnoticed at the time.
We hope this list has brought some of the lesser known titles to the forefront of your mind. Let us know if you go on to buy any of the games featured here.
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Alundra… A horror game!? Unless you were just scared of the puzzles, there’s literally 0 horror in this game.
I was scared of the Puzzles 🙁